Ward 3 City Council: 3 Running For Open Seat In Des Moines

DES MOINES, IA — A former Des Moines City Councilman and two newcomers to municipal government are seeking to become the next representative to Ward 3 on the council. The election will be held Tuesday.

The candidates took part in a final forum Thursday in a race that began in April when Christine Hensley announced she would not seek re-election.

The first to declare his intent to succeed Hensley was Josh Mandelbaum, who served as a policy adviser to former Gov. Tom Vilsack and currently currently works for the Environmental Law and Policy Center. He advocates for improving Iowa's water quality and is "a leading voice for Iowa’s clean energy economy working on policies and regulatory proceedings that promote wind, solar, and energy efficiency," according to his campaign website.

Mandelbaum has picked up numerous endorsements from local unions since he began campaigning, including the Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council, Laborers Local 177, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 347 and AFSCME Council 61, which represents Des Moines Water Works employees. He also has been endorsed by Des Moines Police Burial and Bargaining Local 10 and Des Moines Professional Firefighters Local 4.

As a small business owner who restored homes in some of the city’s most blighted areas, Michael Kiernan has seen how crumbling infrastructure affects the city. But it's an increase in violent crimes in the city and crimes against property that led him to seek a return to the council, of which he was a member from 2004 to 2009.

Kiernan's campaign is focusing on public safety, fixing potholes — the most visible example of our aging infrastructure, he says on his campaign website — and continuing the city's progress through manageable growth that takes into account everything from public safety and transportation to parks and city services.

The final candidate for the Ward 3 seat came to Des Moines as a Somali refugee whose family resettled in Seattle, Wash. He came to Iowa during college and stayed after attending Iowa State University. He has led central Iowa business startups in the areas of agriculture, real estate, and childcare, according to his campaign website.

Mahamed is making his first bid for office in city government, but his leadership experience includes serving as current president of the Iowa chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and a board member of the United States Student Association, the largest student advocacy group in the nation. He has also served as the vice president and founder of the Renton Teacher Academy Foundation.

He said a lengthy list of concerns led him to run for City Council. A lack of affordable housing is “indicative of our misplaced policies when it comes to development,” he says, and Des Moines needs to promote and encourage development of more affordable homes. He also would like to see tax increment financing used to develop the blighted neighborhoods.

Mahamed also said as an immigrant he understands why many people aspire to come to America and he would push for Des Moines to pass a “welcoming city" resolution that would restrict city departments and agencies from collecting and sharing information on the legal status of residents with federal immigration authorities. He also would support stablishing a legal fund to support Des Moines residents facing removal proceedings and would like to restrict police from cooperating with immigration officers in any capacity.

He also supports clean water and would “stand by Des Moines Water Works Board and fight any further attempts by the legislature to dismantle our vital, democratically controlled water utility."

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. You can find your precinct polling site here.

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Candidate Backgrounds

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Josh Mandelbaum, 38

Family: Wife, Katherine; two toddler children.

Education: Roosevelt High School, bachelor’s degree from Brown University, University of Iowa College of Law.

Career: Policy adviser to Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson; currently works for the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

Community/political service: Member of the Polk County Early Childhood Iowa board, founding advisory board member of the University of Iowa REACH (Realizing Education and Career Hopes) program that provides students with cognitive and learning disabilities the post-secondary training they need to hold employment and live independently, attends Temple B’nai Jeshurun, serves on the Greater Des Moines Jewish Federation, former board member of the Iowa Jewish Life Center, graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. He was honored as a member of the Midwest Energy News 2016 40 under 40 class for his leadership on clean energy issues and named to the Des Moines Business Record’s 2017 40 under 40 class.

Campaign issues: Building strong neighborhoods through strong schools; protecting public safety (supports an independent study to analyze the appropriate staffing level and organization for the police department and supports focusing police resources more on violent crimes and gun crimes and less emphasis on low-level drug offenses like possession of marijuana); creating an accessible community that works for everyone; and connecting downtown to strong, vibrant, diverse neighborhoods.

Learn more: joshmandelbam.com

Michael Kiernan, 42

Family: Wife, Erin; one son

Lives in: Sherman Hill neighborhood

Education: Dowling Catholic High School, DMACC and Wartburg College.

Career: Historic Homes Inc., was a founder of Des Moines’ Metro Market, stay-at-home dad.

Community/political experience: Des Moines City Council 2004-09, campaign manager for Preston Daniels’ successful mayoral bid in 1997 and his re-election in 1999, former member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Campaign issues: Public safety, pothole repair, progress throughout the city.

Learn more: www.kiernanforcouncil.com

Abshir Omar Mahamed, 26

Education: Bachelor’s degree in history, Iowa State University

Career: Has started small businesses in agriculture, real estate, and childcare in central Iowa

Community/political service: President of the Iowa chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, member of Democratic Socialists of America, board member of the United States Student Association, past vice president and founder of the Renton Teacher Academy Foundation.

Campaign issues: Affordable housing, TIF use for blighted areas, Welcoming City resolution, decriminalizing marijuana, criminal justice reform by addressing “a racially tinged policing problem," clean water and support of the Des Moines Water Works, supporting a living wage.

Learn more: omarfordesmoines.com

Election 2017: Patch graphic